I Think We're Going to Hell
by Astrael Rose
Summary: AU On top of having to deal with the pressure of everyday life, twins Serena and Darien have another problem: They both love each other in a way siblings shouldn't. Will their love survive? Or will others bring down this twincestuous relationship?
1. School Already?

**The Greeting:** Hey guys! It's me Astrael Rose, back from my long year abscence! I apologize sincerely for those of you who reviewed this story and actually liked it. Reading back on it three years later made me realize that before I had no idea where I was going with it and that it really wasn't that good. Well, I've gone back and rewritten the first chapter. I'm getting rid of the second one because that was a god awful chapter, come on now, it's okay to be honest here. :) I do think that Chapter One Version 3.1 is currently the best one by far. I already have half of Chapter Two Version 2.0 written, as well as an actual idea of where this story is going. I'm probably looking at updating every couple days or so, even though my schedule is hectic enough.

So, after all that rambling, please read and enjoy! Reviews only help me to provide you with better stories, so don't be afraid to hit that review button! :)

**The Story:** This story deals with the twincestuous relationship between Darien and Serena and the trials that occur between them. Some well-known characters will appear, and maybe even some surprise guests...? ;) I'm aware that this is a touchy subject, but this is merely a story, so please treat it as such! I might consider upping the rating in later chapters as things may get.. a bit steamy, to say the least. ;)

**The Thanks:** Thank you to all who reviewed this story before! I truly do appreciate it, and I hope that people will continue to review. If you offer something particularly helpful or simply encouraging, I'll add your name here in the thanks! Thanks you guys! :D

Note: Special thanks to the music of V Factory which made me oh so 'LoveStruckk'. :)

**The Disclaimer:** I do not own any part of the Sailor Moon franchise as all characters belong to their respective owners. I only claim ownership to the plot line.

**The Author's Note:** '-oo-' means that the story is occuring in Darien's POV. '-xx-' means that it is occuring in Serena's point of view

* * *

Chapter One

School Already?

-oo-

* * *

_WHAM._

Something came straight for me. At first, I wasn't exactly sure of what 'it' was. It seemed like something lifeless, yet determined on strangling the life out of me. It appeared as if the thing, whatever it was, wasn't going to move without my help.

I pulled the fluffy pink pillow off of my sluggish face and pulled the inviting covers back on.

The vibrant red alarm clock read 6:51 A.M. in radiant, flashing numbers. It was official. I was going to be late for the first day of hell, known to some as 'school'.

And you know what?

I _official_ly didn't care.

I pulled the covers back over my head, enjoy the sweet sombrance of sleep that began to creep over my eyelids and into my skull. The throbbing headache that racked my forehead wasn't enough to keep me awake as I let myself drift into the beautiful oblivion of sleep.

And then came the sound. I covered my ears, guarding them from the internal damage that I knew was sure to follow.

At first, I thought that someone had turned on the TV by accident. No big deal, except that, you know, on a normal volume limit of 1 to 10, this sound was about a 32,565,659,656.

I reached out from my cozy sanctuary and felt for the remote. I fervently hit the power button, but it seemed to have no effect. I shifted into a somewhat-sitting up position, rubbing my heavy eyelids.

"D A R I E N! I am just going to leave WITHOUT you at this point!"

I dropped the remote for the TV and grinned a sleepy smirk. For a moment there, I forgot that my sister could be louder than any TV on earth.

Unfortunately, I had yet to find the 'off' button to this one.

Slowly opening my eyes, I saw through semi-opened eyes a blonde-haired figure at the foot of my bed fiercely waving her hand in a rude gesture.

"_Uhhhhhhhh_...." I groaned, climbing back into the warm bed. My vision went dark, but my body was fully aware of the tiny flights of fists that were pounding into it.

"Wake up, wake up, wake up! You know what, fine, if you want to get in trouble because you skipped the first day of school, you're on your own," Serena let out a sound of frustration and pounced out of the room, slamming the door behind her. The door bounced right back. I could have sworn I felt a piece of ceiling plunge down on my head, but that might have just been my hangover.

You tend to feel like that after being wasted.

As I began to pull back the covers for good this time, something splashed my face.

And it sure as hell wasn't pink and fluffy.

I desperately tried to wipe my eyes as I was blasted by a jet stream of cold water. Anger swelled within me as I jumped out of bed and tackled the small, laughing figure before me. Tumults of blonde hair cascaded down with Serena as she fell to the ground in fits of giggles. A slick, plastic red squirt gun with yellow lighting bolts on either side fell from her hands with a defining '_clack'_.

I pinned her to the ground as my eyes, wide awake now, stared into hers. My eyes glared furiously at her, my dark hair encompassing the edges of my face. Angry sapphires mirrored joyful sapphires.

Serena smiled sweetly, and something connected between us.

It felt powerful, like a jolt of electricity. My eyes broke their hard look as drops of water descended onto Serena, our faces merely inches apart. Her eyes molded into crystal pools of water, and I began to drown.

I couldn't take this anymore.

I broke the spell between our gazes and turned away, my heart beating fast through my naked chest. I didn't let her see my face, but I could hear her rustling to get up as well.

"Just wait... Just you wait, you little brat," I muttered, getting up and getting serious. Serena pulled herself up, slightly giggling. I wasn't sure if she understood what just happened, but if she did, she just laughed it off. She smoothed out her skirt and grabbed her tiny bag near the door.

"Well Darien, I have been waiting, you see," Serena sucked her breath, pulling in the air around her. "Waiting all morning, in fact, for your lazy ass to get up. _And_, if you make me wait any longer, it'll be Christmas break before we ever leave this house!" She stuck her tongue out at me and left the messy room, stepping over piles of grungy clothes as she made her way out. I heard the shuffling of her tiny feet clamber downstairs.

I let out a breath of frustration as I got ready.

* * *

By the time twenty minutes had passed, I managed to throw on some clothes. My outfit consisted of a simple black t-shirt with 'New York City' spread across the front in faded blue letters. I bought it couple of years ago on Christmas vacation when our family was actually all together for once. Looking back now, I laughed at the idea of our family spending a holiday together. I threw on some khaki shorts that I had just recently bought because all of my jeans were either spread under the bed or on the clattered floor.

I grabbed my phone and stopped to look in the mirror one more time.

Oh yeah. So incredibly good-looking.

I climbed down the steps, slinging around my arm bag and stepping out the front door. Serena was already sitting on the steps, impatiently tapping her feet to the tune of her iPod. I recognized the sickeningly sweet pop tune that blared from her earphones.

I pulled out one of the slim cords, saving her ear from the blasting noise.

"You're a real bitch, I'll have you know," I yelled into her ear, sparing her some of the seventy other not-so-nice insults that were rapidly springing to mind. Just because she was two minutes older she thought that the fact gave her some kind of authority over me. I shook off some of the water drops of my hair onto her. "You could have left without me, and we both would have probably been better off."

Serena merely shrugged her shoulders, plugging back into her ear the loud music.

I swear she's gonna go deaf one day.

"I could neva weave wiffout my widdy bitty baby brotha," She said sweetly, the sarcasm dripping from her voice. "Besides, Mom would be a total bitch if I let you miss the first day."

I snorted. "Like she's ever needed a reason."

* * *

-xx-

I stared at the back of my brother's hair for a long time as I walked behind him. We would probably be late for homeroom, but good thing none of the teachers actually cared about what time we got there, let alone the students themselves.

I could see that Darien's hair was still damp from my water raid into his room. I mentally applauded myself for remembering to hide our old squirt guns from Mom that she had tried so desperately to sell when we had our garage sale. Our parents were currently away on business, as usual.

I giggled as I saw him run his hands through his jet black hair, trying to air dry it before we got to the school. I let out a narrow smile.

Even though Darien was walking in front of me, he let out a small grumble.

"Don't smile at me - you're the reason its wet in the first place."

Twins had that psychic thing.

"Consider it a favor, baby brother. That hopefully got you a little more in touch with your hygienic side after three months of isolation from the soap bar."

Darian slowed his pace so that we were now walking even with each other. He tugged a sweater over his head, his muffled voice heard easily through the morning air.

"I can't believe I have to put up with you in school now too. What with the new schedule changes and all, we'll probably have classes together and everything this year."

"So you're saying you wish you _didn't_ have classes with me?" I teased him.

"Hey, you _are_ pretty good at this psychic thing!" Darien growled as we approached the stone-gray building. The parking lot stretched far and wide, slowly filling up with the cars of students who had spent their last night before school partying. Darien had done exactly that at his friend Andrew's house while I spent it with some of my closest friend, Ami. The difference is that _I_ wasn't intoxicated last night.

Too bad Darien couldn't say the same.

As soon as we were about to walk into the front doors, Darien halted in his tracks. I ran smack into him. He's so solid; he's like brick wall.

"Rini, there's something I've been meaning to do for a long time..." Darien whispered, slowly turning around.

I stepped back and my eyes became wide.

_Splash._

Darien let out a wild cackle as he pumped the plastic nozzle of the spray gun from his bag straight at me. I tried to take cover, using my books as a shield, but it was to no avail. The damage had already been done.

I didn't care that my hair was wet.

I didn't care that my books were wet.

I didn't even care that my cell phone was now probably wet.

I did however care that the two lacy red spheres from my soaking bra now poked out against my translucent t-shirt. My mouth gaped wide as I throttled Darien's hoodie over his head from him.

"Nice _-cough-_ bra," Darien choked out, his laughter dying beneath my vice grip.

A tint of pink crept across his tan face.

I heaved the sweater over my head quickly, assessing the damage around us. Several people had seen the ordeal and had even begun to laugh. My face flushed as red as my bra.

"I hope you burn in hell."

Darien snickered, his head turned completely away from me.

"That's just called payback, Rini. And, because I so graciously provided you with my hoodie, I'm not that much of an ass, am I?"

"Hmm..." I glared. "Let's leave that to karmaic justice, shall we?"

Darien pretended to look scared as if he were about to be struck by lightning. He let out another laugh and flashed the smile that he used when he tried to pick up girls.

"You're pathetic," I muttered as I pushed his broad shoulders through the glass doors to the school.

* * *

And that's it! Please review and let me know what you think! :)

~ 3 Astrael Star


	2. The Meeting

**The Greetings:** Hey everybody! It's me again, Astrael Rose! w00t, you all are saying, she lives! (that is, if you like the story. ;) which I really hope you did!) Chapter Two continues as we get into some actual plot workings. The first couple to get together (not Serena and Darien), not to spoil anything, is my least favorite EVER in any fanfic. I hope it doesn't show in my writing. ;P Anyways, please review and let me know what you think or if you want to offer any constructive criticism! Heck, just let me know you guys are out there, lol. Love you!

**The Thanks:** Thanks to Dexy's Midnight Runners for writing the song 'Come On Eileen'. :)

**The Disclaimer:** Before the government comes and steals my delicious fanfiction, I must admit that these characters belong to their respective owners.

**The Author's Note:** (The Author's note for this chapter has been -le gaspe- stolen.... =O! )

* * *

Chapter Two

The Meetin

-oo-

* * *

_'hey Andy sweet party last night. im sooo tired tho lol. did you end up getting that chicks #?'_

I hurriedly texted my friend Andrew Hansford from the confines of my locker, placing the cellphone inside. It looked as if I was searching for a book or something education-related.

That was the one thing teachers cared about at this school, unfortunately. 'Texting in school is a distraction to the student body and it encourages the dealing of illegal paraphenalia'. I got the same old line every time I got caught with my phone.

Mr. Fick, the vice principal, strode by my locker. I quickly jerked out my Latin binder, looking Mr. Fick square in the face with a cheesy grin. An awkward looking man, he always wore a polka-dot tie that was always slightly to the right. An oddly-placed mustache sat upon his lips, seeming to peering at me with its whisker eyes.

I tore my eyes away from the creature above his lips to greet him.

"Good morning, Mr. Fick."

Scuffling by, he glanced at my with beady eyes like black marbles.

"Keep it in your locker, Mr. Ingston," He said emotionless, continuing his morning route through the hallways.

Yeah. Good morning to you too, Mr. Dick.

I pulled out my phone again to see Andrew's response. The text read as follows:

_'yah man. i'm so hungg over. we'll do it again soon aightt?? and, dude - check this, her names mina and she goes to central!'_

I snickered. Central Catholic was an all-girl's private school that was known for having not-so-Christian attendees.

I quickly sent back my response. The first period bell would be ringing soon, and as much as I dreaded it, I would eventually have to leave the hall for homeroom. Several of my friends greeted me in the hallway and I gave a short nod of recognition. A few of the girls that I had talked to last year passed by my locker and either winked at me or approached me with a cute "hey Darien."

Turning back into my locker, I sent my reply to Andrew.

_'hahah.. have her invite some friends next time.'_

I jumped as my locker door slammed shut for me in front of my surprised face. Andrew, glancing down at his phone, pushed back his shaggy blonde mane with a smile. He always had the habit of popping up unexpectedly.

"You know it, man," He winked at me and slightly punched me in the shoulder. Dark bags were evident underneath his eyesockets, complimenting the redness of his eyes. I knew that my face must have resembled his.

"I see why they call it a Hong Kong Hangover," Andrew remarked. "I feel like I'm staring into the sun." Putting long fingers on his forehead, he shielded his eyes from the iridescent lights above.

I chuckled. I was a little better because I ate a little honey before coming to school. Honey always seemed to work better than Tylenol when it came to hangovers.

"How did your brother make that, anyway? I've never tasted anything like it..."

Andrew looked at me thoughtfully.

"I think he just took some of the Glenfiddich and Tia Maria together... I'm pretty sure he didn't shake it, though, because I got the hit right away."

I gave a short laugh, recalling what I could remember from last night. After only one cup, Andrew had already starting taking off articles of clothing, one by one.

"When is coming home from KO University? We definitely have to do something again."

"Eh.." He scratched his head. "Well, he actually never left... I'm pretty sure he's still laying in bed with some girls from last night..." Andrew stopped and checked his cellphone for the time. "Anyway, Darien there's something I need you to do for me."

I gave him a curious look.

"I'd do anything for you, Andy, but tell me first before I sign up to do something stupid..." I stacked my books into my bag and started walking towards room 103. My feet shuffled on the ground behind me. It required too much effort to /actually/ pick them up.

The bell rang.

Andrew simply smiled at me.

"I'll text you in class, okay? Trust me bro, you'll thank me!" He sped off in the opposite direction to his class, giving a short wave behind him as he went.

I pondered what he could possibly want from me. Wondering, I slithered into homeroom, hoping to slip by the notice of my extemely bored teacher, Mrs. Haruna. I gazed around the room to look at the same faces that had been in my homeroom for the past two years. I took my seat next to Serena. As our seats were in alphabetical order, my sister and I of course sat in the same seat. Apart from a name though, we really didn't share much in common. The only features that we shared physically were our extremely bright blue eyes.

Apparently the gene pool had been more generous in other regards as far as I was concerned. I liked to remind her of this every time semester report cards came out.

Looking at my sister, she stared straightforward with an extremely slouched posture. She wasn't talking to me, and that was fine with me. The teacher took attendance and everyone else in the class groaned to remark that they were indeed in attendance.

Not like anyone wanted to be.

"So... too bad you forgot your umbrella this morning..." I whispered slyly, poking the side of my hoodie which she wore. It was an antique from a past football camp with 'Ingston' on the back. It looked like it swallowed her tiny physique whole.

Serena ignored me as she got out her pink compact to fix her makeup.

I got out my phone and checked to see if Andrew had texted me. My phone lighted up in neon green with '1 New Message'. I pressed the center keypad.

_'okay, so you know Raye Hino, that hott senior? thank me now buddy bcuz i got u a date with her!'_

I replied with grievance.

_'wait, i thot this was a favor? and i barely no her.. y cant she just talk to me herself??'_

Raye Hino... Raye Hino... Hino... Where did that name sound familiar...?

Hino......

I glanced at Serena. A sudden flash of memories flooded my mind.

Raye Hino! That was the girl that Serena used to complain about all the time with her friends. Apparently last year, Serena got in a huge fight with her and to this day refuses to speak of what happened. I never really understood why girls got into petty fights all the time.

Pfft. Dramatic teenage girls.

_'well, lets just say that i owe her a favor. and she said she was interested in u. she came to the party early but left.'_

I tried to put the name with a face, but my 'Hong Kong Hangover' was working against my favor.

_'how am i supposed to meet her? i don't even know what class she's in'_

_'ur running for student council again aren't you?'_

_'well, idk...'_

_'and now u know. the first meeting for candidates is after school - ur going'_

_'well.. are you going?'_

_'hell no.'_

And that was the end of that. _-sigh-_ .

I put my phone away and gazed at Serena, settling my weary head on the lab table stationed before me. She was now sitting upright, waiting for the last minutes of homeroom to pass. Her high buns sat on top of her head and were wound together into tight coils. I didn't understand how someone could grow their hair that long. Even though she had a childish face, it was still lean.

She really was an attractive girl, I had to admit.

"You know I still love you, right?" I breathed the words as I closed my eyes, my cheeks hard-pressed against the cold, black table.

Serena's slender, pale fingers reached to run their length through my raven locks.

"I know."

I shuddered at the touch of her soft hands.

* * *

As homeroom passed and the rest of my classes came and went, I didn't even bother to pay attention. It was a pretty typical routine first day of school. Even my favorite class physics couldn't keep me awake.

Every class was basically the same. The teachers had no real material for the first day, so I dozed in and out of consciousness as the they droned on and on about each specific course.

The only teacher who actually ever tried to make students do real work was Mrs. Sortino, my Latin teacher. Luckily enough, today we just watched _Clash of the Titans_. So low-budget, but so classic.

Finally, the end of the day came and I was overjoyed, to say the least.

I picked up my books and began to walk out of school, trying to keep my focus on staying awake. I didn't bother to wait for Serena because she was old enough I figured to walk herself home.

I stopped dead in my tracks.

"Oh _shit_!" I exclaimed. One teacher passing by pushed up her purple-rimmed spectacles to shoot me an angry glare.

Before she had a chance to open her mouth, I sped off down the hall to the LGI room for the student council meeting. Several papers flew from my binders as I madly hurried down yet another hall. If I didn't at least show up, Andrew was gonna kick my ass.

Almost there, you're good Darien-

_Bam._

A whirlwind of papers surrounded me as I collided with someone rushing from the copying room with stacks upon stacks of manilla folders. I felt my breath leave me as I went down to the ground. It felt like someone just scored the high score for whack-a-mole on my chest.

"Oh-my-gosh, I am _SO_ sorry!" A blizzard of raven hair flew every which way. The girl that had collided into me swiftly gathered her papers, a futile attempt at best. She herself seemed fine. "Are you okay? Oh, _damnit_!" Her intense eyes worriedly scanned me as she tried to fan me with one of her many folders to revive me. The ridges of her tiny eyebrows puckered together, almost seeming as if they were trying to touch.

I chuckled and pulled myself up onto one elbow, catching my breath.

"Ahh.. Don't worry about it. It was probably my fault anyway, trying to run like a madman to get to the LGI."

The raven-haired girl breathed a sigh of relief. Taking a second glance at me once the tornado of papers settled, she inspected my face more closely. So closely in fact that I mentally checked myself to remember if I had a gross pimple or something of the like on my face.

My body subconsciously slid a few inches back.

"Hey, wait a minute... Aren't you..." She sputtered, her face turning just slightly maroon.

"Incredibly handsome?" I flashed her a wide, toothy grin, attempting to distract her from whatever she was so interested in on my face. "But most people call me Darien."

She rolled her eyes at that, seeming a little less upset.

"Well, if you're heading to the LGI, I suppose that means we're going to the same place then," The girl spoke somewhat hurriedly, still in the process of picking up the many papers that had fallen. I instinctively started helping her, feeling bad that I had caused her all this trouble. "If you're going to the student council candidate meeting, it started ten minutes ago."

A look of despair came upon my face. What was I going to tell Andrew now?

"I suppose I could say that you were helping me with my papers... Since you technically are." Her eyes trailed to the ground where she found the last paper. I hoped that she wasn't mad at me for making _her_ late.

She seemed to regain her confidence back as she stood up, arms finally full with the messy stack of papers she had been making. She began to walk in front of me. It was then that I realized how high up her black mini-skirt was, and how long the tan legs were underneath it.

"That would be very nice" I smiled. "Hey, I never caught your name, by the way."

The girl gave a little laugh, seeming to ignore hear my inquiry. She kept on walking. I glanced down at one of the papers I held in my hand.

Above a full-body picture of the girl, it read in bold letters-

'Raye Hino, representing your school for vice president!'.

* * *

-xx-

And thats it! Let me know what you think!

A preview for next chapter- DERAMMMA.

Stay tuned for the drama that is sure to ensue!


	3. The Planning

The Greeting: Hey there, kiddos! Astrael Rose here. w00t. (I'm getting good at this updating thing, lol). So this chapter is significantly longer than the previous two, but I'm working on expanding the rest of the chapters from here on out due some workings with the plot. So forgive me if you don't like the longer length! :( I still love you all and am writing to bring you all the best fanfiction possible. Help me do this and review! I starve for constructive criticism as well as encouraging words! (even though I would write anyway lol).

The Thanks: Special thanks to the music of Oren Lavie, who I probably couldn't get through writing this whole story without. Also, thanks to supersaiyanx for the encouraging words. Muchos appreciated! ;P

The Disclaimer: All characters of Sailor Moon belong to their respective owner, aka not me. ;P

The Author's Note: '-xx-' is the POV of Serena and '-oo-' is the POV of Darien.

* * *

Chapter 3

The Planning

-xx-

Ugh. Three days had passed sinced the start of school, and already I was loaded with school work. It was pretty sad considering I had nothing better to do than homework on my Saturday morning.

I glanced at Ami across the mahogany table, sprawled out over one heavy textbook after the other. I could see the bulky words being processed in her head at a million miles a minute. The dark blue strand of hair that drifted down her cheek was ignored as her mind engaged in a serious conversation with itself.

The silence of Ami's intense concentration was interrupted by the growling of my stomach. I let out a slight moan.

I was so involved with my English work that I had forgotten to eat breakfast! Schoolwork could interfere with my television time, but interfering with my meal time was practically a cardinal sin in the Serenian Bible.

"Hey Ame, are you hungry? We've been working for practically _forever_, and I am just dying to get a bite to eat. All this hard work is making me hungry." I began to salivate at the idea of warm pancakes layered with sweet, sugary syrup. The image in my head only seemed to increase my hunger.

Ami looked up from her work and gave me her signature, quiet half-smile.

"Serena, we've been working for a total of ten minutes, including the time it took me to get in the door." Ami, being the diligent student, always had the responsible answer to everything.

"Exactly my point! Ten minutes is probably the most time I've ever worked on homework in my life," I remarked, exasperated. "And besides, I know you like my brother's pancakes..." I added, wiggling my eyebrows with eyes alight. She rolled her eyes tentatively, but I did notice a slight change in her expression when I mentioned my brother's pancakes (they're practically world famous, you know).

Getting Ami to take a break for schoolwork was like prying a lion away from the fresh carcass of a zebra.

"Well..." Ami looked closely at the silver watch that hung loosely from her thin wrist. "We've only got about an hour and a half more if you want me to help you with your math, which really isn't that much time considering how much help you claim you need."

An hour and a half? Of math? Oh god, the pure and senseless _**agony**_. The torture, the pain! The cruel and unusual punishment by way of factoring equations!

A short but consistent _buzz_ interrupted my train of thought. I searched on the kitchen table for the source of the mysterious sound. Ami, sighing, returned dutifully to the homework for her advanced placement classes.

Aha! The sound was originating from my brother's metallic green phone on the table which I managed to locate underneath a stack of newspapers that came in the mail. The shiny covering felt cool on my hands as I looked on the front screen. It read '1 New Message'.

Well, no use in having an older brother if you can't pry into some of his stuff, right?

I clicked the 'open' button on his phone, and regretted doing so as soon as I read who the sender was.

In bold letters, it read '**Raye H. :)**' on the top of the screen. It was annoying enough that she had that little smiley emoticon next to her name, but what the hell was she doing texting Darien? I continued on to read the text, almost gagging in my mouth as I did so.

_'hey Dare. what r up to? hope u dont mind if i give u a surprise visit work today ;). and r u still goin tomorrow tonight?? idk for sure yet, but mayb i'll c u there??'_

What the hell was this? I didn't know that Darien associated himself with filth. I mean, Darien has had some pretty wack girlfriends in the past, but certainly no one as foul as _her_.

I felt a little vomit begin to form in the depths of my throat.

Considering this a favor to Darien, I played around with Darien's phone and responded back with 'his' message.

"Isn't that Darien's phone?" Ami inquired, not looking up from her book.

"Maybe..." I internally laughed. I already could see the question forming in the ridges of her forehead, but maybe that was just her 'concentrating' face. "Speaking of Darien, where is that little jerk anyway? It's already 10:30, and he has to get ready for work soon..." I stared off into the distance.

"Uhm, Serena..." Ami looked up at me from her schoolwork, setting down the pencil that had just previously been scribbling out calculus equations.

"Yes?"

"Pancakes sound really good about now," she stated quietly.

* * *

-oo-

I woke up from a fitful dream. I couldn't quite put my finger on what I had been dreaming, but I was aware that it had kept me tossing and turning for a good bit of the night. Good dreams were like that - the kind that left you feeling pleasant, but - like a midsummer's rain, was gone almost as soon as it had come.

"Darien! I'm hungryyy!" Serena's voice reverberated through the thin walls of our tiny home. Why did it seem like all of my mornings started out this way?

I climbed out of bed, scratching my head. I threw on my purple and red 'Smoothie Shack' t-shirt and went downstairs.

Yawning, I stretched my arms wide. My sister and her friend Ami were sitting around our large table, the books and papers and pencils splayed out before them.

"Books?" I questioned with a bit of a laugh, opening the refridgerator for some orange juice. "Since when did you learn how to read?"

"Since when you stopped wearing pants. About five minutes ago," Serena snapped, pointing to my bare legs and red checkered boxers like it was obscene. Ami blushed and kept her head down.

"She's taken plenty of Anatomy classes; she should already know that there's more than just skin hanging down around there," I commented dryly, pouring some orange juice in a clear glass and taking a seat for myself. "And, if you're talking about me specifically, I am _more_ than qualified in that department, thank you very much."

I casually looked at the morning newspaper.

Serena doubled over the table pretending to retch while Ami kept reading her large book, pretending not to hear me. I could tell that she had heard though by the deep shade of garnet that the tip of her ears and nose were turning.

"You're so disgusting, Darien! Gawd, forget I even wanted your stupid pancakes!" Serena wailed.

"Hmm, you're right, pancakes does sound good. Too bad I'm running late for work... And I would have asked you to make them, but I don't fancy food poisoning in the morning, or at any time, for that matter." I finished my glass of orange juice, hitting the bottom of the glass with a 'thunk'. "Now, if you'll excuse me, after the boys and I take care of some business, I'm going to leave for work. Nice seeing you again Ami." I added sweetly, grabbing my phone from next to Serena who was making an extreme pouty face at the moment.

"Nice... erm, seeing you as well, Darien," she said, her nose buried behind her book.

* * *

On my way out the door, I heard Serena mutter 'they're perfect for each other anyway'.

I wonder what that was all about.

Hopping in the car for work, I put the keys in the ignition. The engine weakly revved to life, coughing and sputtering along the way. I couldn't wait until I saved up enough for a new one.

I pulled to the end of the driveway, when I heard a vibration in my pocket.

Stopping the car, I pulled out my phone to see who had just texted me.

Because my phone was slightly newer, it showed the whole conversation rather than just individual text messages like Serena's.

The message showed up as from '**Raye the wHore :)**'.

Message In: _'hey Dare. what r up to? hope u dont mind if i give u a surprise visit work today ;). and r u still goin tomorrow tonight?? idk for sure yet, but mayb i'll c u there??'_

Message Out: '_Well, I just got done taking a huge dump. Don't visit me at work; don't visit me at all for that matter- I would rather you just run me over with an eight-wheeler. And you're going to the strip club tomorrow? Well, I guess I could kind of tell that you were a stripper - you dress like a whore. Sorry, you're not Jo's Seafood Shack - I do _not_ want your crabs.'_

Message In: '_...darien... wow. just wow. i heard u were cold but i didnt no u were this much of an ass._'

It took me about three minutes to stare at the text message before the wheels clicked in my mind.

Only one word stuck out in my mind - Serena.

As soon as I realized, what had happened, I called Raye quicker than the speed of light. The dialing tone went through, and I heard the click of someone picking up. Raye didn't say anything, but I knew that she was listening.

"Listen Raye, I am so sorry. All I can say is that I wasn't the one who sent that text-"

A sharp female voice cut into mine across the phone.

"Then who did?"

My voice faltered; I was still furious with Serena but I didn't want to 'sell her out'.

"I... I left my phone at the counter at work, and someone must have picked it up and messed with it. I think I have a pretty good idea of who it was..." My voice trailed off. Serena was so dead when I got home from work.

"Oh... really?" Raye's fiery voice softened. "Well, that's horrible. You better make sure they didn't text anyone else."

I breathed a sigh of relief, holding my hand over the phone so that she wouldn't hear.

"Yeah.. I'm really sorry about that... I guess its still kinda my fault that I wasn't responsible with my phone."

Raye answered somewhat happily back.

"Oh, don't worry about it; that just sucks for you." Raye paused. "So, I might swing by the mall later today to say hi, if that's cool."

I was waiting for her to say this. I knew it was coming from the tone of her voice and the way that she texted me before. I felt bad about the text before, so what else could I say but yes?

"Uh, that sounds great. Normally it's pretty slow, so..." I hope she wasn't expecting much from this.

"Awesome!" Raye sounded genuinely happy. "And maybe, if it just happens to be your break or something, we could grab something to eat?"

I didn't like the direction that I saw this conversation heading.

"Well, we really only have five minute breaks with a ten minute lunch break, but I get off work at three..." I almost clapped my hand over my mouth before the words came out.

Darien, you're a goddamn _idiot._

"Even better!" Raye exclaimed sweetly. "I know the perfect place in the mall. So I'll meet you at three, then."

I laughed half-heartedly.

"Three o-clock. Sounds great. See you then..." I said with false enthusiasm. Serena had caused me more problems today than she knew.

I heard the 'click' through the phone and it was then that I knew I could let out a loud groan. It wasn't that Raye wasn't a pretty girl - she was certainly attractive. And it wasn't that she wasn't a nice girl - I knew she was. We had only known each other since a couple of days ago when I ran into her in the hall, but I could tell that she was genuine, something a lot of girls in high school lacked.. It was just that when it came to relationships with girls, they never seemed to work for me. I couldn't tell you why, honestly. It usually ended up being my fault. I would always find the slightest faults with them, and it never seemed to work out.

It felt like something was always holding me back.

But thinking of girls and faults, that reminded me...

Serena...

I whipped out my phone again, sending her a prompt text.

_"hey i'm not getting back til later today, maybe 6ish. ur gonna have to order something for lunch. im eatin out.'_

Hmph. That would show her.

She responded rather quickly.

_'first, no breakfast. now, no lunch. i suppose you want to starve me to death? and where exactly r u gonna b anyway?'_

My eyes flickered with a passionate darkness that I kept to myself.

I hit the 'send' button on my phone, glowering as I did.

_'im going on a date'._

* * *

And woo woo! That's chapter 3 for ya kids! I'm not sure how soon I'll be able to crank out the fourth, but it will def. be worth staying tuned for! Next chapter, spy missions and smoothies! And chapter 5, the party we've all been waiting for, especially our lovely siblings Darien and Serena.

Please tell me what you thought!

~3 Astrael Angel


End file.
